Suspension of spacers in boxed produce loads



Aug. 28, 1956 H. c. PIERCE SUSPENSION OF' SACERS IN BOXED PRODUCE LOADS ll i 4/ Filed Feb. 12, 1955 INVENToge.

AE'OLD B T faQ/WEY- United SUSPENSION F SCERS IN BOXED PRDUCE LDADS This invention relates to improved spacers and spacing arrangements for box car loads, and in certain respects is particularly concerned with spacers for loads formed of slatted crates, typically of the type used for shipping cantaloupe.

A major object of the invention is to provide an improved type of spacer unit adapted for use in slatted crate loads, and which is specially constructed to facilitate accurate positioning of the spacer in the load during assembly thereof. Particularly contemplated is a spacer unit including several easily handled elongated spacer members interconnected for manipulation together and adapted to be very simply suspended as a unit in active position within a load.

The ordinary slatted crate is formed in a manner such that one or more of its slats has ends projecting a short distance beyond the end walls of the crate. To facilitate positioning of the spacers in a load comprising crates of this type, or other boxes having similar projections, I have conceived the idea of forming the spacers to actually engage and be suspended from these slat ends or projections. For this purpose, I preferably provide elements carried by the spacers and forming loops receivable about the box projections, which projections may extend upwardly in a manner facilitating such suspension.

Best results are achieved where the spacers are elongated and extend horizontally at vertically spaced locations to space apart edge portions of the boxes. One of these horizontal spacers may then be suspended at spaced locations by a pair of the previously mentioned loops re-v ceivable about two box projections. One or more lower spacers may be suspended from and beneath each loop carrying spacer by one or more interconnecting elements. Preferably, the suspending loops and interconnecting elements are formed or" exible suspending straps, typically metal straps. In a two tier box load, it is desirable that three such horizontal spacers be employed, and be suspended by two spaced straps.

When a plurality of spacers are suspended in the above or a similar manner in a load, it is desirable to provide means for preventing any unwanted upward shifting movement of the spacers in the load as a result of vibration in transit. To prevent such upward movement, I form on the lower of the spacers a projection acting to extend horizontally to a location beneath an engaged box.

The above and other features and objects of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the typical embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective View of a car load embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side View of the Fig. 1 load;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the spacer units of the Fig. 1 load; and

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the upper tier boxes of the load, and

Patent ricc showing the manner in which a spacer unit is suspended from the box.

Referring rst to Fig. l, the car load 10 is shown positioned within a conventional railroad box car, having the usual slatted floor 11, side or longitudinally extending walls 12 and 13, and end walls 14 (only one shown). The load includes a number of produce boxes 15 arranged in two superimposed tiers within the car, and alined in parallel rows R1 extending transversely across the car, and parallel rows R2 extending longitudinally of the car. Successive transverse rows of the boxes are spaced apart longitudinally of the car by a number of spacer units 16 (see Fig. 3).

The boxes 15 may typically be elongated slatted rectangular crates of the type commonly used for shipping cantaloupes and various other types of produce, and are stood on end in the load, as shown. The two vertical sides of these boxes which extend transversely of the car are formed by three parallel spaced vertically extending slats 16a 16b and 16e which connect at their upper and lower ends with three horizontal slats 17a, 17b and 17C forming the box ends. The central one of the end slats 1712 is thinner than the other two slats 17a and 17C so that its outer surface lies in a plane spaced inwardly from the plane of the outer surfaces of those other two slats. All three of the side slats 16a, 16b and 16e extend at their opposite ends to the plane of the outer surfaces of end slats 17a and 17e, with the result that central slat 16b has an end portion 18 at each end projecting beyond the slat 17b to which it is connected. As will appear, these projecting portions of slat 1Gb are utilized to advantage for suspending the spacer units 16 in the load.

Referring now to Fig. 3, each of the spacer units 16 includes three horizontally extending vertically spaced parallel spacer members 19, 20 and 21, which are interconnected by a pair of vertically extending horizontally spaced exible connector elements 22 and 23. The three horizontal spacer members 19, 20 and 21 extend transversely of the car between corresponding boxes in adjacent transverse box rows, to space apart longitudinally of the car upper and lower edge portions of those boxes. These three horizontal spacers (usually boards) have equal lengths, which may correspond to the combined dimensions transversely of the car of a predetermined number of the boxes 15. Preferably, the length of these members corresponds to the combined transverse dimensions of two boxes, as shown, or in certain instances three boxes.

The upper spacci' member 19 is interposed between and engages and spaces apart upper edge portions of the top tier boxes. The lowermost spacer 21 of each spacer unit 16 is interposed between and engages and spaces apart the lower edge portions of adjacent lower tier boxes. The central spacer 2li vertically overlaps the lower edges of adjacent upper tier boxes, and the upper edges of adjacent lower tier boxes, and for this purpose may typically have a vertical dimension about twice as great as the vertical dimension of spacers 19 and 21. While it will of course be understood that the spacers may have any of different dimensions under varying particular circumstances, it has been found desirable in shipping conventional cantaloupe crates, to give spacers 19 and 20 a thickness of about 1" longitudinally of the car, a height or vertical dimension of about 2", and a horizontal length of about 2S (where the spacers extend across two box widths). The central spacer may be of the same size, except that its vertical dimension is desirably twice that of spacers 19 and 21.

The flexible vertically extending connectors 22 and 23 of the spacer unit may typically be formed of ilexible metal straps, or other material having a similarly iixed longitudinal dimension. These metal straps are connected 3 t`o spacerunitsf 19, 20 and 21 in any suitable manner, as forinstance .bytacks .or nails V2a. The. upper end portions 25 of straps 22 and 23. are turned horizontally and curved outwardly away from the spacer member 19 to fonm ezarpair orf-.loopsy 'receivable' about. upwardly projecting portions 18 of box slats db. These strapslare-naifl'ed to:spacer `member .1'9" 'at opposite sides-off the formed loops, 1 'and the. loops 1 are'. spaced. longitudinally! of niember -.1'9.:a` distance corresponding .to thevspacing .of-the ce'ntralfvertical'slats iadb :of'twofadjacent crates. En other Word1s,'thespaci=ng;of loops 25 is substantially the saine-.as thetzwidth oone ofthe crates/transversely of .the.car..

The horizontal-dimension of 'eachuof the? loops. .'25 may be sutiiei'ently greater than .the width iof imwardlygprof jectingfslat portions-1S ltoa-enable 'easy-positioning'of the lo ops=.overv the '-.slatsn For thispurp'ose, the loops width is preferably at least about two times great as the slat width. .For example, where the-slats'are l3/4" wide by actualzmeasurement, theloops may .beV Vabout 4" Wide. Verticall portion .22 or 23 of each strap preferably extendsdownwa-rdly fromthe side of its upper'loopportion 25 whichisnearer the corresponding endof spacer 19.v

H"Ille metalstraps are preferably attached tos'pacers 19' ina mannersueh that one. side of each loop has-an' upwardlyinclinedportion-which acts as a tapering throat for facilitating the. placing of loop 25 over projectionsfl. To formsuchathroat, the upwardlyex-tending portion 22 or 23 .ofeachstrapmay-.be fastened .by a nail .27'directly l againstthe. side of spacer @before the upper portion is turned'. laterally toform the loop. When the portion 25 ofthe strap .isthen turned horizontally and nailed-.at an ol'set location .2S to spacer 19, the change in .direction of thestrap forms at 29, just beyond nail 2'?, a side portion ofthe loop at-which the. strappresents anrinclined inner surface, -winch .in .extending .upwardly vconverges i toward spacci-19 andthe opposite side of the loop.

.The bottom.spacer-.member 2i which rests on the'oor ofv the car, carries two or more,projections.26 extending horizontally 'from `spacer 21 in the same direction `that l'oopsZ'S extend-from spacerv i9. :These projections may comprise nails. or staples, as shown, .and are positioned to be received'beneath .and engagetheundersides of the boxes". lPreferably, Ythese projections engage the under sides of vthe central slats 17h at the bottoms of. the boxes, and are spaced slightly above the .car floor and the floorengaging'. bottom edge .of spacer 21, in correspondence withth'e slight upward spacing of slat .175. As will be understood, the reception of projectiousl' beneath. the bottom "boxes, retains Vthe spacer assembly againstv vaccidental'u'pward displacement by vibration intransit.` .In ordertopermit engagement of projections 26 with central`s'lats 4v1775 of the bottom ends of the boxes, tlfler. .pro jections are slightly horizontally offset with respect to loops 25forrned by the metal straps.

lu Vasserrtbling a' load of the type shown, a first spacer assernblyv .1;6 is held in position against an endfwall of the car and two superimposed pairs of boxes are thenmoved intopposition Yagainst the spacer unit. Theunit'is 4suspended" from the upper pairs of boxes by receptionof loops-25 abou't'upwardly projecting slat'v portions 18, and projections 26 carried by bottom 'spacerfil of .theunit are `received beneath the slightly elevated slats 17b at tbe'bottoms' of the bottom pair of boxes. .Other spacer units may then be moved into position against .the .car

wall. and further boxes placed against those units. .After a vcomplete transverse row R'l of boxes'ha's been moved into-position, three additional. spacer units maybeY-sus` pended't'rorn' the'forward sides of those boxes by reception of^their loops 25 about the box projections,.andafter'assuring that projections 26V of the bottom spacers areremanner at it's center. "The result is a very Vwell,bracedoverall load, in which successive transverse rows of boxes are spaced apart longitudinally of the car to provide air circulation spaces therebetween. The slatted vertical box sides 27 which extend longitudinally of the car are outwardly bulged or crowned as shown, to thus also pro vide air circulation spaces between'those box sides com municating with the spaces between the transverse box rows.

I claim:

l. A boxed produce load comprising boxes arranged in stacked rows extending longitudinally and transversely ,Y

within a car, la pair of vertically spaced' parallel horizontally extending spacers interposed between and/spacing apart corresponding boxes in adjacent rows thereof, means interconnecting said spacers, means suspending the spacers from said boxes, and a projection extending horizontally from a lower one of said spacers to a location beneath one of said boxes to restrain upward movement .ofthe spacers.

2. Aboxed produce loadl comprising boxesariranged in fstackedrowsextending longitudinally and transversely f within a car, a pair` of vertically-spaced parallel-horizontally extending spacers interposed between and `spacing apart corresponding boxes in .adjacent rows thereof, said boxes having projections extending upwardly `at the tops thereof and each terminating in an upper free end `portion which is unattached to the rest of the corresponding box except through the projection itself, an element canV ried by an upper one of said.spacers.forming-aile@v which is attached at its opposite ends to saidf'one spacer' and extends about one of said .box projections to -sus-` posed at vertically spaced locations between and spacing.-

apartYA corresponding boxes in two -adjacentbox rows, a pair of flexible straps connected to an upper oneof said spacers at horizontally spacedlocations-and forming/a pairof loops keach .attached at its opposite ends to said one spacerand extending about said upper ends of a pair .ofsaid slats to suspend 'said .onespacer therefrom,

said straps extending downwardly and .connecting tothe lower ofsaid spacers atV spaced locations to suspend. said lower yspacer from the upper one, a thirdV horizontal spacer parallel to said irst mentioned pair and spaced beneath saidlower. one of the pair, said strapsbeing connected to said third spacer to suspend it fromthe other two spacers, and a projection carriedby said third spacer and extending horizontally to .-a point beneatl'il aV box engaged thereby to preventV upward `movement of lthe spacers,the upper of said pairof spacers being interposed between upperedge portions of boxes in an upper tierY thereof, the .lower of said pairof spacers beinginterposed between ylower edge portions. of saidA lupper -tier boxes' and between'upper edge portions ofboxes -in a lower tier,;and said VthirdV spacer being interposed Vbetween lower edge portions of said lower .tier boxes.

- 4'.v For'use in a b'oxedfproduceload comprisingboxes having lprojections each terminatingin an outer free end portion which is unatta'ched to the rest ofthe cor- Y responding boxV except through the projection itself, sa'id boxes being arranged in stackedI rows extending trans# versely and .longitudinally in a car; two elongatedjgenorally parallel spacer members to be interposed-between and: space apart adjacent'boxesy in'A said. load, an element carried by a rst of said spacer'sand `forming a loopwhi-ch. is .attached at its oppositeendsto the spacer'and is. adaptedtoextend abouty said `:projection on one' 'of the' boxes to suspend .said rst spacer therefrom, an element extending between and interconnecting said spacers and suspending the second spacer from the rst, and a projection extending laterally from said second spacer and adapted to be received beneath a box engaged thereby to restrain upward movement of the spacers.

5. For use in a boxed produce load comprising boxes having projections each terminating in an outer free end portion which is unattached to the rest of the corresponding box except through the projection itself, said boxes being arranged in stacked rows extending transversely and longitudinally in a car; a pair of spaced elongated parallel spacer members adapted to extend horizontally between and spaced apart adjacent boxes in the load, a pair of flexible straps connected to an upper one of said spacers at spaced locations and forming spaced loops each of which is attached at its opposite ends to said upper spacer, said loops being adapted to extend about a pair of said box projections and suspend said upper spacer therefrom, said straps having portions extending downwardly to and connecting to the lower spacer to suspend it from the upper one, a third elongated spacer extending parallel to and spaced beneath said pair of spacers and connected to said straps for suspension thereby, and a projection extending horizontally from said third spacer and receivable beneath a box engaged thereby.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,156,866 Pierce May 2, 1939 2,177,076 Pierce Oct. 24, 1939 2,474,949 Lewis et al. July 5, 1949 

